Improvement in gun-carriages



2 Sheets--Sheet1.

JAMES B. EADS. lmprovement in Gun-Carriages.

Patented May 23, 1871.

inventor 2 Sheets--8heet 2,

Xnu'eutov- (MMu Bowl JAMES B. EADS. Tmprbvement in Gun-Carriages. N9;115,181.

Patented .May 23,1871.

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JAMES B. EADS, on ST. LoUIs, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN GUN-CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,181, dated May 23,1871.

I, JAMES B. EADs, of the city and county of St. Louis and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in OperatingOrdnance, of which the following is a specification:

Nature and Object of the Invention.

My present invention relates to improvements upon patent No. 93,691,granted to me August 17, 1869, entitled improvement in gun-carriages andthe firstpart of my present invention consists in the following devices:The lower ends of the levers by which the gun is carried are connectedto a cross-head, to which is attached a cylindrical piston-rod whosepiston works in a cylinder containing air, and open at the end towardthe crosshead, the recoil of the gun compressing the air therein. Withinthe cross-head is a studing-box, through which works an open-endedcylinder, one end of which is received within the cylindricalpiston-rod, and the other end is attached to the carriage andcommunicates with a water-vessel through an inwardly-opening valve thatretains the water within the last-mentioned cylinder and cylindricalpistonrod, and prevents the gun from being thrown up until the valve isopened. The second part of my invention relates to the means employed toadjust the airspring to the amount of ammunition used. This is done byproviding an adjustable cylinder head capable of being moved endwise ofthe cylinder by a screw or other means.

Description of the Drawing.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the operating parts at the line Y Y,Fig. 2, showing the gun, &c. in loading position. Fig. 2 is a hori'zontal section at the line XX, Fig. 1, showing the parts in firingposition.

General Description.

A is the gun, and a one of the trunnions by which the gun is supportedupon two levers, B, one of which is shown in Fig. 1, and the lower endsof both in section in Fig. 2. The levers B are fulcruined by across-bar, b, to the sides 0 of the guncarriage. The sides 0 are shownattached to end pieces D D The end piece D has a circular opening toreceive the end of the cylinder E, which is firmly fixed therein, theother end being supported and held in place by a foot-lug, e, firmlybolted to the base. d is an arch spanning the forward end of theair-cylinder E, and F is a screw turning in the arch and operated by thehandwheel f. The end of the screw has a circumferential gain thatreceives the'inner edges of the sectional platesG, which are flush-sunkin the cylinder-head H, and held in place by screws 9. The screw Faffords means to adjust the cylinder-head within the cylinder to suitthe difference in the recoil force of the gun. The said cylinder-headmay be packed in any manner to render its connection with the cylinderair-tight, the packing shown being a leather ring, h, behind which thecompressed air is admitted through inlets W, the packing being shownheld in contact with the cylinder, when not under pressure by theexpansion-rin g h The cylinder-head is shown made in two portionsscrewed together, but the construction may be varied. An inwardly-opening valve may be placed in the cylinder-head orpiston, asshownat h, Fig. 2, to insure the cylinder being full of air at itsnormal density when the gun is up in its firing position, if the fit ofthe cylinder-head or piston be too close to supply any vacuum resultingfrom leakage in recoil. I is a piston that may be similar to thecylinder-head H, except that it is reversed in position, and, instead ofbeing connected to an adjustingscrew, it is attached to a cylindricalpiston-rod, J, screwed at its open end j into a cross-head, K, the endsit of which work in horizontal slides, the lower portion of which uponeach side is shown at c, Fig. 2. The cross-head has round portions 1,connected by side or connecting-rods L and pins M to the lower ends ofthe levers B. N is an openended cylinder or plunger, attached at one endto the end piece D of the carriage, and extending through a stuffing-boxin the crosshead, and into the cylindrical piston-rod J, beingtelescoped therein. The interior of the cylinder N communicates at itsfixed end with the chamber of an inwardly-opening valve, 0, the valvebeing interposed between said chamber and the water-vessel P, thelatterbeing open to the outer air, and made in any form found suitable. Inline with the axis of the valve is a rod, R, that passes through astuffing-box, S, and is connected by shackles T to the lever U fulcrumedon a standard-frame, V. W is a rod, by which the elevation of the gun isadjusted, the rod being pivoted'to the breech of the gun and to anadjustable cross-rod, Z. The cylinders, guides, 800., havebeen describedas horizontal, but may be inclined to check the recoil or otherwise.

Operation.

Supposing the gun to be in the loading position shown in Fig. 1 and itis desired to throw it upward into the firing position, the lever U israised and the valve 0 opened by the pressure of the rod It. The pistonI is thus relieved from the pressure of the water upon its rear side.The pressure of the air between the cylinder-head and piston I thendrives the latter from the former, and forces a portion of the water(with which the cylinders J and N are filled) through the valve-port, upthrough the pipe 1?, backinto the tank, and the parts are made to assumethe position shown in Fig. 2. The cross-head K, owing to its connectionto the piston I, having been driven toward the carriage end D and, bymeans of the connecting-rods L, having drawn backward the lower ends ofthe levers B, as the lower ends of said levers are drawn backward theupper ends, on

which the gun is supported, are thrown upward and forward, carrying thegun also upward and forward into the firing position. When the dischargetakes place the recoil of the gun throws it and the upper ends of itssupporting-levers backward and downward, and restores the parts to theposition shown in Fig. 1, in which position the small space between thecylinder-head H and piston I is filled with densely-compressed air, theexpansive force of which is again utilized in throwing up the gun intothe firing position. As the gun descends the pressure is removed fromthe inner side of the valve 1? and the water flows into the increasingspace within the cylinders J and N; and when the recoil power has becomeexhausted the pressure of the air between the cylinder-head and pistoncauses the valve to close, and the parts are held in the loadingposition, owing to the comparative incompressibility of the water. Thepoint to which the gun descends in recoilin g, being effected bydiiferences in the weight of the projectile and the amount of powderused, is regulated by theposition of the cylinder-head H, the latterbeing moved outward or inward by means of the screw F. This adjustmentis easily made when the gun is in firing position, as there is thenlittle or no abnormal air pressure upon the cylinder head or itspacking.

Claims.

unto set my hand.

- Y J AS. B. EADS.

Witnesses SAM. KNIGHT, Gno. O. FABIAN.

